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Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts #31

Personality Types: Jung's Model of Typology

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This book is not a critique or a defence of the model of psychological types elaborated by C.G. Jung, but rather an explanation. The intention here is not to simplify the model, but to illustrate its complexity and some of its practical implications.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Daryl Sharp

49 books33 followers
Daryl Leonard Merle Sharp – writer, Jungian analyst, publisher and bon vivant – was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1936. He lives in Toronto, Canada and has two sons and two daughters.

He earned two Bachelor degrees, one in mathematics and physics and the other in journalism, at Carleton University in Canada, and a Masters degree in literature and philosophy from the University of Sussex in England. Sharp entered training at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zürich in 1974, along with other members of the so-called "Canadian mafia," which included Fraser Boa, Marion Woodman and John Dourley.

Upon graduating in 1978, Sharp returned to Canada to begin an analytic practice and tour North America on the Jungian lecture circuit. Together with Marion Woodman and Fraser Boa, Sharp co-founded the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts in Toronto in 1982 (followed by a training program for analysts in 2000).

In 1980, Sharp also began his major labour of love: Inner City Books, still the world's only publishing house dealing exclusively with the work of Jungian analysts. Sharp's first publication was his diploma thesis, The Secret Raven: Conflict and Transformation in the Life of Franz Kafka. Many others followed, including multiple publications by analysts such as Marion Woodman, Edward F. Edinger, James Hollis and J. Gary Sparks, and especially Marie-Louise von Franz, who graciously agreed to act as honorary patron of Inner City Books.

Today, in 2015, Sharp's enterprise has enjoyed significant success, selling millions of books with translations into approximately a dozen languages.

Sharp himself is the author of more than 30 titles, mainly designed to introduce and explain Jungian concepts to lay audiences. Perhaps his best known books are Personality Types: Jung's Model of Typology {1987}, The Survival Papers: Anatomy of a Midlife Crisis {1988}, and Digesting Jung: Food for the Journey {2001}. {Personality Types and Digesting Jung are available as free eBooks on Inner City Books' website.}

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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Suhaib.
254 reviews105 followers
April 22, 2017
An indispensable book for those on the path of self-mastery and self-discovery.

Only found it yesterday, but for the life of me I couldn't put it down until I finished.

Now I think it's useless if I set out to summarize what I've learned since it will easily be liable for misunderstanding—and more importantly, without me bordering on my own personal peculiarities and normal tendencies with regard to my own personality.

Suffice it to say that I've always been an introvert—as any keen eye would tell from only a glimpse over my Goodreads account.

Anyway, here's a wonderful quote from Kafka on the way of the introvert:

"Whoever leads a solitary life, and yet now and then wants to attach himself somewhere; whoever, according to changes in the time of day, the weather, the state of his business and the like, suddenly wishes to see any arm at all to which he might cling—he will not be able to manage for long without a window looking on to the street."

One more thing, I've been enamored (I don't know why!) by Emma Jung's description of her own personality type, the introverted sensation type:

"When somebody comes into the room, such a type notices the way the person comes in, the hair, the expression on the face, the clothes, and the way the person walks. . . . every detail is absorbed. The impression comes from the object to the subject; it is as though a stone fell into deep water—the impression falls deeper and deeper and sinks in. Outwardly, the introverted sensation type looks utterly stupid. He just sits and stares, and you do not know what is going on within him. He looks like a piece of wood with no reaction at all . . . but inwardly the impression is being absorbed. The quick inner reactions go on underneath, and the outer reaction comes in a delayed way. These are the people who, if told a joke in the morning, will probably laugh at midnight."
Profile Image for H.A. Leuschel.
Author 5 books283 followers
October 24, 2019
A fascinating and informative book about Jung's system of typology.

'No one is a pure type. It would be foolish to even try to reduce an individual personality to this or that, just one thing or another. In terms of Jung's model, each of us is a conglomeration, an admixture of the attitudes and functions that in their combination defy classification.'

However, 'without a model of some kind, we are simply adrift in a morass of individual opinions - lost in a jungle without a compass.'

In Jung's own words:
'Conformity is one side of a man, uniqueness is the other.'
Profile Image for رزان داود.
114 reviews31 followers
August 7, 2019
Penetrative.

The differentiation between the two attitudes (introversion and extraversion), the specificity of each function of the four (Thinking, Feeling, Sensing, Intuition), and finally the brilliant combinations of them all together!
All of these aspects have resulted in a very complex system which digs beneath the surface.

For me, every single paragraph in this book has left me with a "WOW" react. This experience was extremely magical and eye-opening, especially when it comes to the two irrational functions (Sensing and Intuition).

And eventhough individuals are still more complex, this model of C.G.Jung does work. So, for people who are willing to see themselves and others with better clarity, this rich book (of only 129 pages!) is definitely recommended.
Profile Image for Maria.
24 reviews11 followers
May 8, 2011
The best explanation to Jung's typology. Concise, neat, quick, brilliant. The last part about Supper gives it that different thing.
Profile Image for Karen.
577 reviews31 followers
September 29, 2023
Not an easy read, but a meaningful one. Jung’s personality typology was the basis for the Myers-Briggs type indicator assessment. That’s the assessment that gives the four letter code (I’m INFJ), and that most of us have done through our work at some point.
I learned so much about the complexity of the personality types that is not shared in Myers-Brigg, including the fact that every function is correlated to an attitude, either extraversion or introversion. And that Jung never intended his theory for individual psychology, stressing the huge importance of both attitudes and every function being developed in an individual.
Profile Image for Anita Ashland.
274 reviews18 followers
March 10, 2022
This is a distillation of Jung's Psychological Types. It is very clear and concise and, at only 124 pages, far more accessible than Jung's book. He gives an overview of the eight main personality types and explains the practical use of typology. It is an important reference book that you'll refer to again and again if you are interesting in typology.

"Jung's model of typology is not a system of character analysis, nor is it a way of labeling oneself or others. Much as one might use a compass to determine where one is in the physical world, Jung's typology is a tool for psychological orientation. It is a way of understanding both oneself and the interpersonal difficulties that arise between people."
104 reviews2 followers
Read
February 4, 2009
For those who are interested in Jungian personality theory (which the (in)famous Myers-Briggs personality system is loosely based on) this book is definitely worth reading. It's a quick and easy read that points out what Jung actually thought about personality type. It's fascinating to see the differences between Jung and MBTI, and this book reminds me of why I'm not a true believer in either (although both can be very helpful, I think).
Profile Image for Anna.
10 reviews2 followers
August 22, 2010
This book was extremely helpful for my research project on MBTI. The detailed descriptions of the Jungian types were fascinating and it also made it easier for me to pick out the differences between the Jungian types and the MBTI system. The only thing I would say is that is seemed a little biased toward the introverted attitude.
Profile Image for Wouter Zwemmer.
602 reviews37 followers
March 25, 2016
Fascinerend gedachtegoed; een feest van herkenning over jezelf en anderen.

Acht persoonlijkheidsvariaties
Jung onderscheid twee persoonlijkheidsoriëntaties (introversie en extraversie) en vier functies of orientatiewijzen (denken, zintuigelijk voelen, intuïtie en psychologisch voelen). Door deze te combineren krijg je acht persoonlijkheidsvariaties.

Intro-extraversie
Bij introversie is de energie gericht op de innerlijke wereld, het subject is het belangrijkst. Bij extraversie is de interesse vooral gericht op de buitenwereld, objecten en andere mensen zijn het belangrijkst. Het onderscheid ligt niet per se in gedrag maar in de motieven voor gedrag.

Bewust-onbewust
Jung deelt de vier functies in, in rationeel/bewust (denken en voelen) en irrationeel/onbewust (ervaren en intuïtie). Emotie verstoort de werking van de functies: we denken niet helder als we boos zijn, we kunnen iets niet goed beoordelen als het waardevol voor ons is, etc.

Geen 'pure type'
Niemand is een "pure type", past geheel in één van de types uit de typologie van Jung. Meestal is één van de functies het meest ontwikkeld, de primaire functie. Je identificeert je meestal met die functie. De primaire functie heeft altijd een tegenhanger, de inferieure functie. Dit is de andere functie uit dezelfde categorie van bewust-onbewust. Bijvoorbeeld: als denken primair is, is voelen inferieur. De primaire en inferieure functies gaan niet goed samen. De inferieure functie fascineert ons; het is langzaam: denkers moeten diep graven om te weten wat ze eigenlijk voelen. Als een sterke primaire functie de inferieure lang onderdrukt, kan deze naar boven komen in een crisis, bijvoorbeeld in mid life crisis. Vaak zijn overgevoeligheid en emotionele overreactie (verliefd worden, blinde woede) tekenen dat een inferieure functie en/of een complex actief is. Zo neigen uitgesproken extraverten naar uitgesproken egoïsme.

Relaties tussen intro- en extraverte mensen
Introverte en extraverte mensen vullen elkaar aan als ze een gezamenlijk doel nastreven of, in het geval van een huwelijk, een eenheid vormen versus de rest van de wereld. Echter, zodra die noodzaak tot samenwerken wegvalt en ze zich op elkaar gaan richten, ontstaat diep conflict: wat van waarde is voor de een, is waardeloos voor de ander. Op latere leeftijd werkt een combinatie van een primaire functie met een derde of vierde functie (niet prim of inf) het beste.

Kanttekeningen bij de typologie
Het model van Jung lijkt eenvoudiger dan het is. Zo is niemand eenzijdig één van de typen; je oriëntatie in het leven wisselt met tijd, leeftijd en omstandigheden; het kan heel moeilijk zijn om iemand goed te determineren, vanwege de werking van het onderbewuste; je oordeelsvermogen over iemand anders wordt beïnvloed door je eigen type.

De 8 persoonlijkheidstypen
Extraverte denkers zijn politici, juristen etc. Doorgeschoten worden ze drammers, die iedereen hun wereldbeeld (formule) willen opleggen. Ze zijn slecht in hun gevoelsleven: esthetische smaak, artisticiteit, vriendschap, tijd met familie of geliefde. Ze hebben de gevoelens wel, maar deze kennen geen weg naar buiten. Of ze komen juist overdreven sterk naar buiten: de harde zakenman die zich opeens verliest in religieuze mystiek.

Extraverte gevoelsmensen laten hun gevoel oordelen op basis van sociale verwachtingen en wenselijkheid, in tegenstelling tot subjectieve evaluatie. Dit zijn de warme sociale types in een conventionele sociale context. Keerzijde: de warmte is sociaal wenselijk, heeft egocentrische motieven en komt niet van binnenuit: kille types die aardig doen als het in hun directe belang is, onbetrouwbaar. De onderdrukte eigenschap is introvert nadenken: rationeel evalueren, zelfreflectie. Hij haat alleen zijn. Deze mensen kunnen extreem negatief denken over de mensen met wie ze kort daarvoor warm omgingen, als de onderdrukte eigenschap naar het bewustzijn komt.

Extraverte fysieke gevoelsmensen houden van mooie dingen (kleding, wijn, spullen, mannen/vrouwen etc). Ze beklimmen bergen voor de fysieke ervaring, lopen marathons. Goede minnaars. Sociale hedonisten. Opmerkzaam op veranderingen in het uiterlijk van hun partner, ongevoelig voor hun gevoelsleven. Onderdrukt is introverte intuïtie: stemmingswisselingen worden toegeschreven aan het weer of iets ander zichtbaars. Deze mensen kunnen doorschieten in hun passie: extreme sporters, over the top jaloezie of andere angsten (fantasie).

Extraverte intuïtieve types zien niet zozeer de wereld zoals die is, maar de mogelijkheden voor hem of haar, gaan over de werkelijkheid fantaseren. Vernieuwende ondernemers. Trendy. Snel verveeld. Slecht beoordelingsvermogen. Maken weinig af. Geen gevoel voor hun lichaam. Angstig voor het concrete zoals geldzorgen, sex, ziekte. Dit kan doorschieten in overdreven aandacht voor het fysieke: fitness, hygiene, voeding.

Introverte mensen houden niet van grote groepen en voelen zich dan verloren en alleen. Ze beschermen zich tegen invloeden van buitenaf. De introvert vindt een extravert oppervlakkig en luidruchtig. De introvert heeft de neiging om dingen en andere mensen te devalueren. Introverten zijn veel met hun verdedigingsmechanismen bezig wat energie kost waardoor ze vaak moe zijn. Behoudend. Ze zijn niet asociaal maar zoeken rust in zichzelf.

De introverte denker is geïnteresseerd in ideeën en in denken. Theoretici. Logisch en precies. Mogelijk fantasten. Ongevoelig voor de mening van anderen. Verstrooide professor. Naïef in relaties. Hun inferieure functie cq zwakte is extravert gevoelsleven, ze kunnen zich slecht uiten en zijn onconventioneel. In crisis slaan ze door in hun gevoel.

Introverte gevoelsmensen
Stille wateren met diepe gronden. Objecten en mensen zijn niet meer dan impulsen voor het streven naar innerlijke intensiteit. Stil, moeilijk toegankelijk, schijnbaar indifferent. Waar introverte denker bezig is met theorie, is dit type bezig met zijn complexe gevoelsleven en waarderingen/oordelen. Hebben vaak hoge ethische standaard. Beleefd maar geen echte emotionele respons op anderen. Neutrale observator. Natuurlijke aantrekking tussen dit type en de extraverte denker vanwege elkaars inferieure functie. Kan doorslaan in agressieve projecties van onderbewust denken (samenzwering, complotten).

Het introverte fysieke gevoelstype wordt geleid door de gevoelsintensiteit van invloeden van buitenaf. Artistiekelingen, kunnen de beleving van beelden, mensen en scenes in detail visualiseren en overbrengen in taal of beeld. Onthecht van dingen en mensen, uit verdediging tegen invloeden van buitenaf. Inferieure functie is extraverte intuïtie. Die heeft bij dit type een "weird, eerie, fantastic quality", een voorkeur voor "the ambiguous, shadowy, sordid, dangerous possibilities", een gevaarlijk en destructieve onderbewuste eigenschap die in schril contrast staat met het goedbedoelende bewustzijn. Concrete hier-en-nu types met moeite met het visualiseren van mogelijkheden. Kunnen contact met realiteit verliezen en vervallen neuroses en uitputting.

Het introverte intuïtieve type is gericht op het innerlijke onderbewuste. Beelden hebben de realiteit van objecten voor een extravert. Dit type ervaart de onderbewuste beelden als onthecht van hemzelf, als realiteit los van het subject. Dichters, profeten, artiesten, shamanen die de beelden uit de ongekende wereld naar de stam brengen. Mystieke dagdromers met wollige praat, kunnen slecht communiceren, slecht beoordelingsvermogen over anderen en zichzelf, weinig besef van eigen lichaam en verschijning. Chaotisch, snel de weg kwijt. Problematische minnaars. Inferieure functie is extravert fysiek gevoel.

De waarde van een typologie
Het boek sluit af met een relativerend hoofdstuk over de waarde van een typologie. Jung zelf nuanceert dat: "It is not the purpose of a psychological typology to classify human beings into categories." De typologie van Jung is nooit statistisch gevalideerd, wat misschien ook onmogelijk is vanwege de omvang en diversiteit van de populatie. Het boek sluit af met de opbeurende stelling dat "(...) it's major importance continues to be the perspective it offers the individual on his or her own personality."
Profile Image for JP.
448 reviews9 followers
January 30, 2019
To read this book slowly, more like a depressed walk.
When Carl Jung introduced the personality type Introversion and Extroversion and these type of personality different under
Thinking
Feeling
Sensing
Intuitiveness
An indepth analysis about typology and even their possible symptoms of diseases.
Amazing!!
You won't be the same person after reading this book and experience the behaviour of your crowd what sort of personality they fall and you adjust them by becoming an ambivert
Lovely book to read
You have to visit few times to understand the depth of this book
Profile Image for Siael Carvalho.
17 reviews
May 20, 2023
Extremamente simples e fácil de compreender. Um excelente guia para compreender melhor a si mesmo e a outros. Não é completo. Esse livro por si só não consegue dar completo entendimento da teoria de Jung, mas é um trabalho que vale a pena ser lido por quem estuda psicologia. Gostei demais.
Profile Image for Mansoore.ast.
35 reviews1 follower
March 27, 2023
کتاب بسیار مفیدی برای کشف خود و درک دیگرانه؛ اوایل کتاب ساده تره ولی به مرور، همونطور که از یه یونگین انتظار میره، کمی سنگینتر میشه...
Profile Image for Chim.
26 reviews
July 30, 2023
呢本书好短,解释同总结荣格嘅八维性格理论,开篇就讲明态度:把人格分类学当成一个指南,噉样先能够避免分类学嘅缺点。
Profile Image for Mel Mathews.
Author 4 books3 followers
September 18, 2015
Complicated Stuff for Complicated People (the entire Human Race)

Daryl Sharp's 'Personality Types' is an excellent way of being introduced to C.G. Jung's Model of Typology. A brief list of areas explored include, the two personality attitudes - Introversion and Extroversion - and four functions or modes of orientation -Thinking - Intuition - Sensation - Feeling.

I once attended a workshop where we, the participants, had previously undergone a few psychological test, including the Jung-Myers-Briggs typology test. In this workshop, we were separated into small groups of 4 or 5 people, all of different typologies, and we were given quite simple tasks to be completed as a group. Well, you would have thought these tasks to be simple, but given the diversity in our personality types, many of the groups performed quite poorly in accomplishing their goal and a few even outright failed, with one person stomping out of the room in tears.

If you deal with groups, in business or elsewhere -- I suppose that we all deal with groups filled with different personality types, the first being our family -- then I highly recommend Daryl Sharp's 'Personality Types' to gain basic insights into how and why people are moved to act and react in a host of different fashions.
Profile Image for Jemimah.
22 reviews
January 22, 2021
This book analyses Carl Jung’s model of typology: the two attitudes (introversion & extroversion), the four cognitive functions (thinking, feeling, sensation, intuition), and the eight variations of attitude and function that form the personality types. While all the details were a little challenging to digest, I did gain a deeper understanding of Jung’s model and its distinctive language.

I found the section ‘Typology and the Shadow’, which touched on the concept of the ego, the persona and the shadow, particularly insightful and even more interesting than the topic of typology I initially came for. So much so that I’m willing to go off on a tangent and look into that side of Jung’s theories.
Profile Image for Toni Moore.
107 reviews37 followers
January 18, 2015
This is a brief, clearly written introduction to C.G. Jung's 16 personality types. Author Daryl Sharp, a Jungian analyst, explains the two personality attitudes -- introversion and extroversion -- and the four functions or modes of orientation: thinking, sensation, intuition, and feeling. Then he describes them using Jung's own writings. The descriptions are somewhat negative, which I found a bit disconcerting, but Sharp wraps it up nicely at the end. A good explanation of the concepts, but I recommend reading other books on Jung's personality types along with this one.
Profile Image for Zell.
60 reviews19 followers
October 26, 2015
Before picking up this book, I have read dozens of online articles regarding each of the cognitive functions that are present in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). However, there are a few explanations in this book that I have not read anywhere on the net. Even so, I don’t think the online descriptions are lacking. I just think that this book serves as an extension to what I have read on the net. But I believe there is another book that explains each of the functions thoroughly and I have yet to pick up that one and read it.
Profile Image for Joli Hamilton.
Author 2 books25 followers
August 12, 2016
Concise description of Jung's theory of types, with enough actual Jung quotes to lend the slim volume academic weight. An easy read if you are already familiar with the basics of Jungian psychology, and accessible for a newbie with a bit of cross referencing for taking in the full scope. I really appreciate that Sharp reminds us that Jung never intend typology to limit, box, or pigeon hole. He points out the uses of coming to understand the myriad ways we humans meet the world. This is a book about embracing difference, not just tolerating it!
Profile Image for Jatin.
67 reviews
November 30, 2016
Just some descriptions. I'd like to know how users of each function would justify their functions, why would they value it over others, among other things, while it just expands on some paragraphs of Jung. It doesn't even tell how functions act at auxiliary positions.

Probably it just wasn't according to my liking.
Profile Image for Prex Ybasco.
Author 1 book30 followers
April 20, 2017
Appendix 2 is quite adorable. I won't be able to give justice to this book and Carl Jung unless I come up with a substantial reflection on this. However, as always, for me great reviews need to take time to be created and more often, they stay in my head.

"Now I'm thinking about what I read."- Amy, The Big Bang Theory
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